von Karma's visitors
by JRMac
Summary: Set directly after the events of Turnabout Goodbyes. Manfred von Karma's execution date has been set. But before that can happen, he must endure visits from friend and foe alike, each with their own final remarks they wish to pass on to the legendary prosecutor.
1. Chapter 1

**Day 1**

Manfred von Karma was sitting in his prison cell, perfect even in defeat. He was wearing his usual prosecutor attire, though he would never work another case again. His execution date had been set for next week. That seemed like a short time after just being declared guilty for murder, but there was a reason for that. The authorities feared that, given enough time, von Karma might just hatch a plan to escape.

von Karma was not going to do that. He was going to sit in his cell, read his books, perhaps see the error in his ways (highly unlikely) and wait to die. That was his plan at least, until one the guards informed him that he was to receive a visitor today, and one tomorrow, and one every day up to his execution date. Manfred never knew he was so popular. He wondered if Edgeworth would be one of the visitors, tried to decide what he would say to him. Before he could finish the thought, an old, annoyingly familiar voice greeted him.

''Hey there, Fredo! Been swimming lately?''

Damon Gant, Chief of Police. The bane of von Karma's existence for most of his early career. He could do his job well (there's a reason they called him the Crime Computer) but that didn't make up for how irritating he could be. The nicknames, the pats on the back, the invitations to go swimming etc. It was enough to drive a man mad. Fortunately, von Karma was able to avoid cases with Gant for the last two decades. But now Gant was here, visiting him for God knows what reason. Manfred looked up.

''Hello, Gant.''

''Oh come on, Fredo! Why the long face? Well, maybe I can see why, haha!''

He started clapping his gloved hands together. von Karma hated when he did that.

''Why are you here, Gant?''

''I came to visit an old friend, of course! I heard about your, er, predicament, and thought you might need some support.''

''We're not friends, Gant. And I don't need support. I've accepted my fate.''

''Good for you! Honestly, I'm surprised you committed murder, but even more suprised you got caught! If only you hadnt tried to get young Worthy arrested, you would've gotten off scot free, haha!''

Manfed was silent. He didn't want to discuss the plan he had devised 15 years ago with this man.

''Well, if that's an awkward topic for you, we can talk about me instead! Wondering what I've been up to, Fredo?''

''No.''

''Well, I'll tell you anyway. As you know, I was made Chief of Police two years ago, and it's been nothing but paperwork since then, very boring stuff.''

Gant went on to discuss this ''boring stuff' in great detail. For about thirty minutes. von Karma supposed Gant was trying to bore him to death.

''And people are always asking things of you. There's this one guy, Jake Marshall, who won't shut up about this one case that was closed a while back. SL-9, I think it was called.''

Manfred looked up at that. Unbeknownst to Gant, he had figured out the truth of that case as soon as the facts were brought to him. But he was busy at the time, so he gave the case to Edgeworth. Gant was probably rubbing it in von Karma's face that he had gotten away with murder and von Karma hadn't. A wry smile crossed Manfred's face.

''SL-9? That was when Neil Marhsall was murdered, correct?''

''You remember, Fredo? I'm surprised, you weren't even in charge of that case.''

''No, I passed it on to Edgeworth. But I remember reading it over and finding the whole incident... peculiar.''

''Oh?'' Gant's expression has changed, no longer smiling. ''How so?''

''The missing evidence. A piece of cloth had been ripped from Marshall's vest, and some of the broken pieces of vase were also absent from the crime scene. Highly unusual. It's almost as if there was a third party who had arranged the scene the way they desired, wouldn't you agree?

Gant was giving Manfred was one of his patented stares. It was probably supposed to intimidate von Karma, but it didn't work.

Then Gant broke out into a grin, ''Haha, excellent story Fredo! I'm impressed. Though without evidence, it's just that. A story.''

''I wouldn't be so sure, Gant. Take it from me; past crimes can come back to haunt you.''

''Well, it doesn't matter now. The evidence from the SL-9 case will be getting moved soon and that will be the end of that.''

''If you say so, Gant.''

And Gant, without another word, got up and left. He had a smile on his face, but von Karma could tell that his words had troubled the Chief of Police. Manfed, on the other hand, was feeling much better than when Gant first came in. Feeling fatigued after that battle of wits, von Karma laid down on his bed to rest a while.


	2. Chapter 2

**Day 2**

Manfed von Karma was patiently awaiting his next visitor, who was due to arrive in 3 minutes. He wasn't told who the visitor would be, so he had to guess as to who it might be. And so 3 minutes passed.

Then 5 minutes.

Then 10 minutes.

Then 20 minutes.

von Karma was furious at being kept waiting so long, ''Guard!'' he bellowed ''Did you give me the wrong time?''

''N-no'' the young guard responded, visibly shaken at the outburst, ''He must be r-running late. Oh wait, here he is now!''

von Karma looked down the corridor. He saw a man he didn't recognise. He looked to be in his mid twenties. He had brown, spiky hair, was wearing an orange jacket, and had an idiotic look on his face. Manfed was not looking forward to this.

''Sorry I'm late man, got stuck in traffic.'' The man responded, putting a hand through his messy hair, ''Hope you weren't waiting too long.''

''Who are you?'' von Karma asked coldly.

''Huh? You don't remember me? That's not cool man!'' The man was on the verge of tears now, ''I was the best witness ever, I helped Nick set Edgey free!''

And the penny dropped in Manfred's mind, ''You're Larry Butz.''

''You do remember!'' The tears were still in Larry's eyes, but they were tears of happiness now.

von Karma, however, was shaking with fury. This was the man that had rushed to the witness stand after the guilty verdict had already been passed down. His ridiculous testimony revealed the true time of death of Richard Hammond, which in turn ruined Manfred's entire plan.

And now he was forced to talk to this moron.

''What possible reason could you have for coming here?'' von Karma asked, trying hard to remain calm.

''Well, I've got a new girlfriend you see, her's name Alixana, she's really pretty and she's from Jamaica, you know? Anyway, I was telling her about how I gave testimony in court, and how you were the prosecutor, and she was like ''Wow, Manfred von Karma, he's undefeated, right?'' and I was like ''Yeah, but he's in prison now, want to visit him with me?'' and she was like ''Hell yeah!'' but she had to go back to Jamaica cuz her dad was sick, so -

''GET TO THE POINT!'' von Karma screamed. This was turning into a gigantic waste of time.

Larry jumped at the yell, but then he settled down. And his face changed, von Karma could see. He looked serious now.

''So I thought I would visit you myself, and give you a message. Your plan didn't work. Edgey is fine. In fact, me, Nick, Edgey, Maya and the big detective dude all went out a few nights ago to celebrate Edgey's not guilty verdict. He was a little anti-social but that's normal for him. And you're stuck in here, rotting away. So everyone gets what they deserve. So yeah, I just wanted to say that to your face. Later.

And then Larry was walking back down the corridor, only a few minutes after arriving. von Karma didn't have time to respond, though it's not as if he could think of anything to say. He was dumbstruck. From what we saw of the man in court, Larry Butz was a blihtering idiot who just happened to say the right thing that the defense lawyer could take advantage of. It was strange how Manfred could unsettle someone as cunning as Gant the day before, yet this buffoon had just made him speechless in such a short time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Day 3**

Manfred was unprepared for his next visitor. He was facing away from the hallway, reading one of the books from the prison library. His next visitor was supposed to arrive in 30 minutes, but apparently she had decided to show up early.

''Hello, Papa.''

Manfred's eyes widened. This was the last person he was expecting. He put the book and turned around. And standing there, of course, was his daughter, Franziska von Karma. It had been a while since Manfred had seen her. She had cut her blue hair short, and had a new brooch at her throat. But she had her whip at her side. Some things never change.

''What are you doing here, Franziska?'' Manfred asked, ''You're supposed to be working a case in Germany.''

''I won that case, of course.'' Franziska replied, ''And afterwards I heard on the news about what... what happened.''

Manfred was silent.

''You lost.''

''Yes.''

''You tried to frame Miles Edgeworth for murder.''

''Yes.''

''And that has been your goal for the last 15 years.''

''... Yes.''

Franziska was silent for a moment. Then, with cat-like reflexes, she took out her whip and struck it against the prison cell bars. Manfred didn't flinch. No matter how angry Franziska was, she would never hurt her own father.

''How dare you!'' she cried out, ''You raised him like a pig for slaughter! He was like a son to you!''

''He was never my son.''

Franziska was silent again, as if carefully choosing her next words, ''You always taught me that the guilty verdict was all that mattered. That defense attorneys were scum that tried to protect murderers. Was that a lie?''

''It is not a lie. Perfection is the von Karma creed. To attain a guilty verdict by any means necessary. I have lived by it, and so have you. I expect you to continue living by that rule.''

''You're not perfect.''

Manfred stood up at that, ''What?''

''You heard me.'' Franziska was fighting back tears, ''You're not perfect. You lost. You're a murderer. You're just like the scum that I prosecute every day. But I still have my perfect win record. That makes me better than you and Miles Edgeworth. And after you're dead, I'm going to find the attorney that beat you and I will defeat him. That will prove that I am better than Miles Edgeworth once and for all!''

Franziska stopped to take a breath. And what she said next rocked Manfred to the core.

''You... are no longer a von Karma. You are not worthy of that name. Goodbye, Papa.''

And she was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

**Day 4**

The next day, Manfred was hiding behind his bed. He had managed to terrify the guard into informing him who his next visitor was. Once he learned who it was, von Karma had no intention of meeting them. Not here, where there was no place to run.

He'd had time to ponder Franziska's final words, and decided to dismiss them as folly. Who was she to strip him of the Von Karma name? Ridiculous. He had trained her, raised to be the great prosecutor she was today, all while working on his plan to build up Miles Edgeworth so he could crush him in defeat. Didn't she appreciate all he'd done for her? The nerve of that girl!

''Ohh Manny-poooooo?''

Oh God no.

Wendy Oldbag was his visitor today, and hell would freeze over before Manfred von Karma willingly spoke to this woman ever again. Like with Gant, he had managed to avoid her in recent years, but he still had nightmares over the hellish testimonies she gave in his earliest cases. She had nearly cost him his perfect record before it could begin, for goodness sake! Fortunately, the bed provided for Manfred was large, so it made for an excellent hiding spot.

But Manfred knew she would not give up easily.

''Where are you, Manny-poo? Excuse me, mister guard, do you know where Manny is?''

The guard hesitated. von Karma had clearly instructed him to not give away his location.

''I-I don't know. He might be in the infirmary.''

''Oh, speaking of infirmaries, do you know I used to work as a nurse? Oh it was yeeeears ago, of course, and I was much prettier than I am now, but it was a wonderuful experience for me! I remember one time this young man came in, hopping on one leg, and he walked up to me and said hedbrokenhislegsoihelpedhimtooneoftheemptywardsandwentotfindoneofthedoctorsand-''

It was too much for the poor young guard to handle, ''He's behind the bed!''

''Damn you to hell!'' von Karma roared, leaping up from his hiding place.

''Oh Manny-poo, there you are. Did I disturb your sleep? I'm very sorry.''

No matter, Manfed thought to himself. He always had a Plan B, ''Come closer to the bars, Wendy. I want to tell you something.''

Oldbag flushed, ''Oh my! Well, if you insist.'' she leaned forward, expecting a whispered compliment, or perhaps a kiss on the cheek! And then, just when they were close enough to almost touch noses, Manfred fell back.

''Argh!'' he cried, ''She hit me! Guard, get her away from me!''

''What?'' Oldbag screeched. Her face was now red with anger rather than embarrassment.

''You'll have to come with me, Ma'am.'' The guard said calmly, catching onto von Karma's plan.

''The hell I will! I didn't touch him! You have no proof!''

''D-don't make me call security, Ma'am!'' The guard responded, clearly terrified.

''Pfft! You know I was a security guard once, not long ago actually. But then this pointy-haired freak and his weird assistant came along and-''

''Security!''

Only seconds later, men in dark grey uniform arrived to gently, but firmly, escort Oldbag from the premises. She ranted the entire way out.

Manfred von Karma looked at the guard, and he looked back. It was a look between men who had worked together to overcome an obstacle that neither could have surpassed individually. A true miracle.

''You have redeemed yourself.'' Manfred told him, ''But if you betray me again, I will have you scrubbing these halls instead of guarding them. Understand?''

''Y-yes sir!''

''Good! Now fetch me another book from the library, I have completed the one you gave me yesterday.''

''Okay, sir!''

The guard walked off, rather briskly. Manfred von Karma leaned back in his chair with one of those rare smiles on his face. He had to admit, it was a job well done.


	5. Chapter 5

**Day 5**

Once again, von Karma knew who today's visitor would be, but he did not recognise the name: Ray Shields. Apparently he was a defense attorney, though von Karma had never faced him in court. It couldn't be any worse than yesterday's ordeal, Manfred thought to himself.

He was watching the man walk down the hallway towards his cell now. He was wearing a fedora slightly tilted to the right, and thick bushy hair stuck out from underneath it. Manfed didn't notice any grey hairs, but Raymond Shields still had an air of wisdom about him, so he estimated the man was in his mid to late 30's. He was wearing a brown shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a blue tie. No jacket, which was strange considering the current season. He also had a sly grin on his face that Manfred didn't care for.

Shields reached the cell, turned to face von Karma, and stuck his arms out. Said nothing.

''What are you doing?'' von Karma asked

''Waiting for a hug.'' Shields responded coolly.

''...''

''...''

Manfred was starting to reconsider that thought about Shields being wise.

''Don't you see the bars?'' Manfred said, nodding his head towards them.

''Oh, right! My bad, it's just my way of saying hello and I'm so used to doing it.'' Raymond said, laughing a little at himself.

''What are you doing here, Mr Shields? I don't even know you.''

''Please, call me Ray. And I'm surprised, Mr. von Karma. I know it's been a while but I didn't you'd forget this handsome face.''

''Enlighten me.''

''Ah well, maybe you'll remember this name: Gregory Edgeworth.''

Now that was a name von Karma knew. Edgeworth. That name was the reason he was on death row! But how was this man related to Gregory? Why, by the time of DL-6, he must've only been a teenager, most likely not even an attorney yet. An assistant, perhaps, but...

... and that's when the dots connected in Manfred's mind.

''You were Gregory's legal assistant in the IS-7 case, which occurred directly before DL-6.'' It wasn't a question.

''Bingo! Ah, IS-7, now THAT brings back memories. It was a hell of a case, eh von Karma? Of course, you had to cheat to win in the end, but-''

''I DID NOT CHEAT!'' von Karma roared, knocking his chair aside as he stood up. He didn't care for this man or how he was dredging up memories of the only case where he received a penalty.

''What, not gonna admit it? They never found the body, you know. Who else could've hidden it but you? And I hear that's not the only time you bent the law to keep your precious win record.''

''I have no idea what happened to the body.'' von Karma replied. He was fuming. That was one of the few occassions where he HADN'T tampered with evidence and it was the one he got blamed for! And it was all Gregory's fault. If he hadn't pushed so hard for a Not Guilty verdict, the case would've been over with quickly and none of this would've happened.

''Okay, let's assume you didn't mess with evidence.'' Ray said, disrupting von Karma's train of thought, ''But you did kill Gregory, didn't ya? That newbie attorney lawyer proved it and that's why you're stuck in jail now.''

Manfred was silent. There was no disputing this.

''I want you to know that I'll be re-investigating IS-7.'' Ray informed him. His voice was icy now. ''And I'll be proving that our client, who's been imprisoned for over 15 years now, was innocent all along. Which will put another dent in your perfect record. But I hear you'll be going to hell soon, so you won't get to see it. That's a shame.''

Both men were silent for a long moment. And then, Ray took his fedora off and asked the big question,

''Are you even sorry what you've done? For killing Gregory? For trying to pin the crime on his son?''

Manfred von Karma had thought long and hard about this. Of course if he hadn't devised that plan then he would still be a free man, and technically still a perfect prosecutor. But even so.

''No.''

He couldn't be sorry. He couldn't regret any of it. He was perfect and the Edgeworth family had ruined that, so they had to be punished. It would go against everything he stood for if he apologised for his actions now.

''I see.'' Ray said quietly. He put the fedora back on, this time tilted to the left. Manfred wasn't sure why he noticed such an odd detail.

''Well, it's been... nostalgic seeing you again. You may be an evil man, but for what it's worth, I hope you find peace in the afterlife. I know that's what Gregory would want, anyway.''

Ray turned away, and returned down the corridor. Manfred was left standing there, confused by these last words of compassion. Why would Gregory want him to find peace, after what he had done to him and his son? It made no sense to von Karma. And it never would.


	6. Chapter 6

**Day 6**

These visits were becoming a pain, von Karma thought to himself. Every day he had to either interact with a worthless, annoying human being, or deal with someone giving him a lecture. If they really wanted to punish them, they'd keep him here all his life. But his execution date was in two days, so he had two more people to meet before then. Today's visitor was named John Doe, and claimed to be Manfred von Karma's butler. Obviously an alias, Manfred concluded, but why would his butler need to use a fake name in these circumstances? And why was his butler even here? He should've been released from his contract after von Karma was declared guilty.

Then he saw today's visitor walking down the hall, and Manfred understood everything. The man, 'John Doe', had a long, thin face, with a stitch mark running down the middle. His short hair and moustache were black, though his hair was dyed white in the middle. The man was wearing a butler's uniform, but it was a disguise. This was not Manfred von Karma's butler.

This was Shelly de Killer, assassin-for-hire.

Throughout his career, Manfred von Karma had many critics and accusations thrown at him, such as forging evidence or influencing witness testimony. Some even claimed that they had proof of these crimes. Whether or not that was the case, Manfred had to be sure such proof was never brought to light. In situations like that, Manfred would call de Killer and give him the task of... 'disposing' of these individuals. de Killer was always co-operative, efficient in his methods, and always left his calling card at the scene of the crime, so no blame could be put on von Karma. He had hired de Killer's services eleven times over the last twenty years, and every time Manfred had been pleased with the result.

What de Killer was doing now, however, was a problem.

''Leave us, guard.'' Manfred commanded.

''S-sorry sir, I can't just leave-''

''I require another book. Fetch one from the library for me.''

''B-but I-''

''Now, man!'' von Karma shouted, snapping his fingers.

''Yipe!'' the young guard screeched, and ran away. He should be grateful; if he were to learn about de Killer, then he would have to be disposed of aswell.

''Very good, sir.'' said de Killer softly, just arriving as the guard left, ''Now we can speak freely.''

''This is a dangerous game you're playing, de Killer.'' Manfred replied coldly. ''There had better be a good reason for your visit.''

''Of course, sir. I am the only one in danger here, anyway. I was told that your execution date is in two days.''

Manfred was silent.

''It is very unfortunate. You were an excellent client, perhaps even my best. You always respected the bond of trust an assassin and client must share.''

Of course I did, Manfred thought to himself. He had heard rumours about what happened to those who broke de Killer's trust.

''But enough reminiscing. You asked why I am here. The answer is simple: I wish to know if you want to hire my services one last time.''

von Karma's eyes widened.

''Obviously you couldn't ask me, not in your position, so I came to you. It would be free of charge, of course. Consider it a token of gratitude for all the business you have given me over the years.''

Manfred considered de Killer's offer carefully. If he was going to have anyone killed at this stage, it would be Miles Edgeworth. His plan had failed in the end, but he could be satisfied in the knowledge that Edgeworth was going down with him. And it's not as if the authorities could punish him if they found out he was behind it; he was going to die in two days no matter what. Really, there was no downside to this plan. There was only one answer Manfred von Karma could give.

''No, de Killer. I do not require your services at this time. But thank you for offering.''

''I see.'' de Killer replied, ''Then there is no reason for me to stay any longer.'' He turned to leave, ''It's been a pleasure, Mr von Karma.'' And he was gone.

Manfred von Karma sat for a while longer and pondered what he had just done. de Killer had just given him a perfect opportunity to have Miles Edgeworth killed, and he had declined. But an assassin was not the way von Karma had wanted to end Edgeworth. He had a plan, a master plan, and it had failed. He would accept defeat with grace. To have Edgeworth murdered now would be the act of a sore loser, in von Karma's mind. Say what you will about Manfred von Karma, but he would remain perfect, even at the end.


End file.
